Hitchiker
by Princess Alexandria
Summary: Brooke noticed the car on the side of the road and decided to lend a hand. It lead to an opportunity she couldn't resist. femslash MystiqueOC.
1. Chapter 1

Hitchhiker

By Princess Alexandria

Brooke sighed heavily as she stared out her windshield. "Of course it would be pouring when I need to get back." She muttered and turned up the car stereo, her CD of Heart filled the truck. The moody and haunting tune, All I want to do is make love to you, made Brooke shiver a little. She could practically feel the rain and cold through the song, never mind the fact that she could see it.

The long stretch of road was deserted, as no other fool thought to drive in this. It was a long ride home and Brooke sighed as she considered the fact that perhaps in this weather she might be better off not driving the full fourteen hours straight. Her mind worked to try and determine a good stopping point halfway home as she drove, glad that she'd left her horse at the other ranch for the week to stud because she really didn't want to think about him on this drive too.

The Heart CD ran through and started again before Brooke saw another vehicle, a small sedan, only it was on the side of the road. Brooke sat up a bit more and stared as she saw a figure moving angrily and kicking a tire. That didn't look good. As Brooke got closer down the two lane freeway she noticed a feminine form and very red hair. Brooke couldn't just leave the woman here, there wasn't even a cell phone signal on this stretch of road. Brooke slowed her truck and moved to pull off the road behind the car to see if she could help.

As she stopped she saw the woman look over at her with suspicion, trying to see in the truck, and Brooke's jaw dropped a little to see the deep blue of the woman's face. She closed her jaw with an audible click and stared just a moment, before taking a deep breath and opening her door to step out. "Ya need a hand?" She called out as she closed the truck door to keep the warm in and the cold and rain battered her. She could see the other woman was already completely drenched and it didn't feel like it would take time for the rain to do that to Brooke as well.

"Why, are you actually offering?" The woman spoke and her voice was deep, almost reverberating. Brooke stared a moment and could see the suspicion and tension in the woman.

"Look, this ain't the best stretch of freeway to be stuck on." Brooke relaxed as she realized what the woman might be worried about, because generally a woman should relax a bit when she noticed the person to stop and help was also a woman. There wouldn't be any side of the road attacks here, unless the woman was afraid of humans. "What's wrong with your car?"

"I have no idea." The woman seemed to relax a little but the rain was getting in Brooke's eyes and the cold was getting to her.

"Wanna ride to the next town? Maybe we can call for a tow from there."

A half hour later things started to be less tense in the truck as Mystique, as she'd introduced herself, used the spare clean town on her hair. Brooke drove on in silence while the woman worked to try and dry off and turned up the heat in the cab to help. Her own short hair didn't hold rain too long, it was damp, but it would be dry soon enough.

"So you pick up a lot of mutants on the side of the road?" Mystique asked, and it seemed a casual question, so Brooke grinned at the absurdity of it.

"Not really. Haven't really seen people like you before." Brooke reached out to the towel Mystique was done with and grabbed it to toss it in the backseat of her large truck. "Where were you heading anyway? Does that car need to travel far, cause the mechanics in this next town are really not that great. It's a two horse town max, blink and you'll miss it."

"So you aren't a mutant then?" Mystique's voice was a little tenser and Brooke's eyebrows drew together as she turned from the straight shot of a road they were on to look at her. "What inspired you to pick one up?"

"Well, you looked like you needed some help." Brooke pointed out the obvious. "And I sure as hell am not gonna leave a woman on the side of the road, who knows what might happen."

Mystique grinned just a little at that. "I swear I wouldn't have hurt anyone too badly." The strange comment had Brooke laughing before she even realized it, and then she hoped she hadn't insulted the woman.

"Okay then. I just couldn't take the risk." Brooke grinned at Mystique and then focused on driving. "Man, I really hate driving in this."

"So why are you then?" Mystique asked and Brooke felt the tension melt between them. Now it was normal talk.

"Took a stallion out to a friends house to breed, but then found out my mare's gone fertile and I need to try and get back to town to breed her." Brooke said vaguely, not wanting to really get into why she'd cut her visit at Sam's ranch short. "So I left my stallion there and I'm trusting he won't tire my boy out." Mystique chuckled.

Twenty minutes later they were coming up to the town and Brooke tensed a little to see the deputy's police car outside of the garage, knowing that he'd take delight in tormenting the blue woman, because he liked to bother Brooke about being a lesbian, so a mutant was going to be fair game. "Oh shit." She muttered and glanced over at Mystique. "I could go in for you, see about a tow." She said as she stopped the truck in the parking lot. "But you might want to keep a low profile. I've been harassed in this town before, so you'd be completely out of luck."

"Look," Brooke stared in shock as the blue woman she'd been talking to shifted into a white woman in jeans and a plaid shirt. "Why don't we just get some gas and keep moving. That car wasn't really mine and the next town has got to be more useful." Brooke just stared. "I can pay for the gas, to make up for it."

"Ah, you can look different." Brooke stared, starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

"It helps in hick towns. How about it?" Mystique asked and she looked amused at Brooke's bemused expression.

"Sure, I'm not eager to deal with him either." Brooke blinked and started to focus on other things as she backed the truck up and moved for the gas station next door.

"So you look rather human, what does he bug you about?" Mystique asked and Brooke blushed a little, wishing she hadn't let that slip.

"Won't date his ugly ass." Brooke muttered and pulled up to the pump. "Told him the waitress was more my type. Wasn't my best move, because business takes me through here more than I thought it would."

After pumping gas Brooke got back in. "So you stole that car?" She asked, having had a little time to think about it.

"Could have picked a better one." Mystique admitted, "but desperate times."

"Damn." Brooke had visions of police blockades and jail time for aiding and abetting, but she just pulled back onto the freeway and kept going. "If we get caught, lets pretend I didn't know that."

"Don't worry, we won't be caught." Mystique sounded like it was a ridiculous notion. "I've already ditched the car." The woman shifted to blue again. "And it isn't like the security cameras would recognize me, I took it as a six foot three linebacker."

"What?" Brooke glanced over and then jerked her body and the truck to the side to see a large man in her truck. She had to turn back to the windshield and pull the truck back under control quickly, her heart hammering as she barely missed the ditch.

"Shit, you're jumpy." Mystique muttered in her own voice and Brooke glanced to the side to see the woman was blue and a woman again. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"Don't do that again." Brooke snapped at her and then waited for her heart to stop pounding. "So you shapeshift a lot?" It wasn't really a question, that form was way different than a skin tone change.

"Yes, I do." Mystique sounded amused. Brooke glanced at her and mock glared, but she was starting to see the humor in her own response to seeing that now that the truck was safe and sound.

"A man? You a fully functioning guy?" Brooke teased.

"I haven't had any complaints." Mystique looked smug, but Brooke wondered how Mystique defined fully functioning.

They drove in silence for a little while as Brooke thought about that power and she had no idea what had Mystique just staring out the side window. Brooke turned to look at the woman subtly and noticed the sad air about her, and she couldn't help but start to see the nice bone structure and flawless blue skin. If that woman were a horse, with a body like that she'd be worth a lot, she was a very good example of a female. Brooke shook her head out of her weird thoughts and cursed herself for spending more time with horses than people, because she was starting to look at people like horses.

In the quiet of the truck Brooke might have thought Mystique fell asleep, but her yellow eyes were still staring blankly outside. As they neared the next town Brooke sighed heavily, drawing Mystique's eyes to her. "Look, where are you going? I'm heading back towards my ranch, just inside of Texas. If you want you can just stick with me for as much of the ride as you want, but I'm stopping in the town after this for a nights sleep and some dinner." The company was nice after all, and she'd feel funny just dropping the woman off now.

"I could stick around a little longer. Is the next town bigger?" Mystique asked and Brooke grinned.

"Yeah, it is." They stopped for gas and a bathroom break, and then moved on.

Mystique seemed a little less down and Brooke thought she noticed an appraising look or two sent her way when she wasn't supposed to be looking.

Brooke's own eyes wandered as well, and when Mystique caught her all Brooke could do was blush and grin. The answering smirk was rather flirtatious.

"Look," Brooke spoke as they got closer to the hotel she planned to stay in. "I'm not very good at this." Brooke blushed and parked the truck, before turning to Mystique. "But do we want one or two hotel rooms?"

"Not a very romantic come on." Mystique teased with a grin.

"I breed horses for a living, there isn't a whole lot of romance involved." Brooke said matter of factly, "Just nature. You want to share a room?"

"Girl after my own heart, no strings sex. Sure." Mystique agreed and Brooke let out a breath she'd been holding.

"I'll go check in and then we can go grab a burger and a beer down the street." Brooke said as she opened the door. "You might pick a male form for dinner, or we'll be hit on all night, and I don't want to have to shake them loose to take you to bed." Mystique laughed, her head tossed back as her laughter took over.

"Full of romance." Mystique was smiling, so Brooke knew she'd said the right thing to cut the tension.

"Yep, and once you've bred the mare I'll give you a sugar cube." Brooke teased and shut the truck to laughter as she moved toward the hotel office. Her own smile faded a little as she thought about what she was doing, she had some doubts, but this was a great opportunity and she couldn't pass it up. That woman was perfect.

The bar was rather noisy, and Brooke smiled as she sat another beer in front of a rather impressive looking male. "Ya know, I'm already a sure thing, you don't need to get me loaded." Mystique said with a grin, but she grabbed the new beer.

"I want you uninhibited." Brooke teased, but she watched the beer and the woman for signs of intoxication. She wanted some, but not too much.

An hour later they left, and Brooke forced herself to caress a male arm as they walked back to the hotel. "Just so you know, I'm a cowgirl." She teased, and licked her lips.

"You gonna ride me all night?" Mystique teased and they slipped behind a van, where Mystique shifted to a woman, one with her own bone structure, but no blue skin. "Look, you want anything special? I notice you flinch a bit with a male form."

"I find you rather attractive as is." Brooke moved forward and gently pinned Mystique to the side of the van. "I don't want a lot of sleep, just enough tonight." Her voice was a little rough as she leaned forward to kiss the woman.

"Well see what we can do." Mystique grinned wickedly as Brooke pulled away. Brooke didn't bring up any other desires just yet. They made it back to the hotel a little faster after that.

The next morning Brooke laid in bed pretending to sleep as Mystique slipped out silently, she listened to the woman writing a note before she went and as the door closed Brooke smiled. No awkward morning after and Mystique never did figure it out. Brooke moved to carefully lay on her back and not move too much as she prayed for the nights strange passion to result in life. Mystique just thought she was kinky.

She might stay another night in the hotel and take it easy. This would save her the money on the sperm donations she'd planned to buy once she got back home.

Inspired by Hearts

**All I want to do is make love to you**


	2. Chapter 2

Hitchhiker

By Princess Alexandria

Brooke wiped the sweat from her brow and took a tiny break to stand up tall and look up at the sky. Her muscles ached as she stretched. She then sighed heavily and moved to grab another bale of hay, carrying it to her truck bed and laying it there. The man selling the bales to her took it and stacked it for her. "I'll need more fencing too, but I'll have to have Jimmy pick it up."

"He still here?" Mr. Bradshaw asked as Brooke was walking away to grab another bale.

"His school doesn't start until mid September." Brooke sucked in a little air as she lifted more hay. "By then I'm hoping my hired hand is recovered enough to start work again. If I didn't have my brother this would have been a long summer."

"Yeah, I heard that Jake got hurt out there." The old man spoke as he took the bale from her. "You doing alright out there darling? It isn't really woman's work, and well now..."

Brooke sighed and stopped her motion, interrupting him. "Mr. Bradshaw, woman's work is anything a woman is willing to work at and I am willing to work for my ranch." Her eyes were trained on him and she noticed he looked a little taken back, but then he grinned just a little.

"I'll remember that one." He nodded and then stood up to put the bale in place, so Brooke went back to work bringing bales. "I just worry about you girls out there." Brooke sighed and nodded, even though it irritated her. She'd inherited that ranch years ago and she ran it well, but everyone had expected her grand-daddy to give it to Jimmy, some even thought her father would get it. Brooke's dad didn't get alone with his father and Jimmy didn't even want to have the ranch, but everyone expected the male to get it. Thankfully Brooke's grand-daddy had been a bit more enlightened and saw how much his grand-daughter loved the place.

By the time they were done she desperately needed an ice cold drink. She followed him into the country store a little slower, pulling the gloves off of her hands and tucking them into her back pocket. As she walked she glanced at the minivan in the parking lot, dusty from the road and sporting a nice sticker claiming its rental status. She shook her head and smirked, sightseers, figured. No one out here bought minivans. They probably were lost, because there were no vacation ranches around here.

As the door opened a woman with a white stripe in her hair stepped out, holding a cold bottle to the side of her neck. Brooke grinned a little in appreciation for the sight. "Excuse me." She said as she stepped to the side to let the woman walk past.

As she moved to grab the door it moved and Brooke backed up a step, before finding herself standing in front of a familiar woman. Brooke's eyes widened and she watched as the black haired white woman's eyes widened, and then quickly flashed yellow just for a moment as she stared. "Mystique?" Brooke spoke softly, but she could hear the stripe haired woman gasp behind her.

Mystique stared at her a moment longer and then smiled just a little, while finishing stepping out of the store. "Brooke, it's been a while."

"Well you are unforgettable." Brooke felt her heart hammer just a little, but she backed away from the store. "You got where you were going okay I guess?" There were other things she knew she should say, but she wasn't going to say them.

"Yes." Mystique glanced over Brooke's shoulder. "That's my daughter, Rogue." Brooke's eyes widened as she turned to look at the stripe haired woman watching them closely.

"Nice to meet you ma'am." Brooke stared a bit longer and then turned to Mystique, her voice a whisper. "Did she age normal?"

Mystique laughed, her fully amused laugh. "Yes, she did. I adopted her." Brooke's eyebrow's drew together at why someone would adopt a girl barely younger than themselves.

"What momma's not saying is that she has a biological son my age as well." Rogue spoke a little hesitantly as she joined them, studying Brooke.

Brooke turned to stare a little at Mystique. "He aged right?" She had to know. She suspected he aged normal, but she needed to know.

"Yes he did, I'm the one that doesn't age normally." Mystique gently took Brooke's elbow and moved toward the van. "Rogue dear, would you give me a few minutes?"

"Sure momma." Rogue said, but the voice was slightly irritated. The woman moved away after shooting Brooke another searching look.

"So what I saw, that was the real you?" Brooke asked, knowing that some of the features were true at least. "Cause I really liked what I saw." Brooke tried to cover a little and got a wicked grin from the woman.

"Yes, that's the real me." Mystique's voice was flirtatious. "I hope you weren't upset that I had to leave." Brooke managed to keep a straight face as the apology started. Mystique didn't have to leave she wanted to avoid the morning after, but that had been just fine with Brooke.

"No, not upset." Brooke glanced at the van, feeling awkward about this. She really hadn't expected to see this woman again.

"We're on our way somewhere." Mystique stared into her eyes. "But I wouldn't mind visiting you after I'm done. I know you said your ranch was just inside of Texas, so is it around here?"

Oh god, how could she say no to that, Brooke thought with a bit of panic, but she kept her face a mask of interest. Her conscience battle with her and Brooke nodded slowly that she did live nearby. "I own the Triple X ranch."

Mystique grinned. "Of course you do." Brooke rolled her eyes at the familiar teasing. At least Mystique didn't elaborate on the X-rated hard core rating that shared her ranches name. It probably wasn't even an issue when men owned that damned thing.

"Well, I've got to go." Mystique glanced at an impatient looking Rogue standing by the store doors waiting.

"Sure. Nice seeing you again." Brooke did like what she knew of the woman.

"You too." Mystique leaned in to give her a brief kiss. "I sometimes still think of that night." The woman whispered into her ear and Brooke blushed.

"I can never forget it." She replied honestly.

Brooke waved to them as they drove off, wondering if Mystique really thought she'd visit or if it was a polite lie to avoid saying that the one night was enough.

"You know those women?" Mr. Bradshaw stuck his head out the store door and looked at her.

"If anyone asked where my ranch is, would you call me and warn me?" Brooke turned to look at the man. A surprise visit would be a little harder to deal with. "Anyone at all." She said, thinking of the woman's ability to shape shift. Mr. Bradshaw looked confused, but he nodded.

"I got more gummy bears for the little ranch princess." He smiled and held up a bag of candy.

"You always trying to rot my little girls teeth out. I should make you pay for the dentist." Brooke shook her head and started to walk towards him.

……………….

Tbc..


	3. Chapter 3

Hitchhiker

By Princess Alexandria

"Mommy, mommy, mommy." The words were repeated quickly at her knee and Brooke sighed as she looked down. "Mommy, I want that." Mercy pointed her small finger at a magazine she saw on the shelf. Brooke's eyebrow rose a little at the odd choice until she looked harder at the cover and saw a blue man on the front of it. He was a furry blue man, but blue regardless.

"You want Science Weekly baby?" Brooke asked gently as she stared down at her little girl. Her heart ached a little at the one little fact she hadn't anticipated when picking her child's sperm donor. Mercy felt odd, out of place, even at three she noticed.

Brooke pushed the grocery cart a little out of their way and kneeled down to look into her baby's eyes. She took in the yellow begging look that was far too cute. It always took an effort to not give in to the child's begs for candy, but this time she couldn't say no to an impulse buy. Brooke reached into the magazine rack and pulled the magazine out, glancing at Dr. McCoy and then she opened up the magazine, flipping through it quickly to see if there were more pictures. There were a couple of pictures. That was all Mercy would want.

Brooke reached out and gently caressed the girl's soft blonde hair out of her face. "You like him because he's blue?" Brooke asked quietly.

"Like me." Mercy took the magazine and hugged it to her little chest, it covered the girl's entire chest.

"Okay." Brooke stood up and glanced at the grocery cart. She had wanted to get the fence started today, since Jimmy had the supplies stacked up in place now, but by the time they got home from shopping it would be the middle of the hottest time of day. Not a time to be outside working. Her eyes trailed over the things they'd picked up so far and she considered how to deal with the frozen items with her growing plan.

"Mrs. Johnson." Brooke asked as they moved to the front of the store. "Do you think you could put some of my things in the freezer while we spend some time in town?"

The older woman glanced down at Mercy for a moment and Brooke watched carefully. When Mercy was a baby she'd brought the little girl everywhere so people could get used to her before Mercy would notice the shocked looks, but once in a while people looked a little too long even now. "What you got there girl?" Mrs. Johnson asked gently and Brooke relaxed her shoulders a little.

"Picture." Mercy smiled big, her white teeth showing very clearly between her deep blue lips as she held it up. Mrs. Johnson's eyes widened and then she looked up at Brooke with a question in her eyes.

"Well that's nice." Mrs. Johnson said softly and kept staring at Brooke. Brooke just sighed and shook her head, knowing the woman was wondering if that was Mercy's daddy.

As Mercy flipped through the magazine happily the older woman was checking out the items in the cart. Brooke gritted her teeth and waited for an old conversation. "Why did you ever decide to go and get pregnant alone girl?" Mrs. Johnson asked yet again.

"Well, that's the only way I could." Brooke's glare was a little hostile. "I wanted a baby, not a man."

"Well now it's going to be hard when you change your mind. Getting a man while you have a kid is hard and for you," Mrs. Johnson glanced down at Mercy meaningfully and Brooke's fist clenched.

"I appreciate your concern." Brooke had to try and be polite about this. "But I'm not going to ever change my mind about a man, and I wouldn't want anyone," She said anyone slowly to point out the lack of gender in it, "That couldn't understand that I wasn't going to wait for some mythical romance to have my child."

"You are so young to be so cynical." Mrs. Johnson sighed heavily and then smiled down at Mercy who was starting to pay attention tot them. "Well you know how this works kiddo. I need to ring you up."

Mercy reached up as high as she could with the magazine and reluctantly let it go so that it could be scanned. Mrs. Johnson gave it right back to Mercy after that, and Mercy hugged the magazine tight again. Brooke grimaced as the crinkle sound. That magazine wasn't going to live long if Mercy kept treating it like a teddy bear.

Brooke dropped off the frozen and other tender to the heat items into the walk in freezer in the back of the small store and took the rest out to the truck with a happy Mercy at her feet.

Brooke felt it the moment it happened and she stared down just to make sure. Mercy had moved. Brooke quickly tossed the last bag into the back of the truck and turned, looking. Her heart beat a bit too fast until her eyes caught the red of the little girl's t-shirt running up to the store across the street.

"Mercy!" Brooke yelled as she started to run after her, her heart in her throat as she saw the car her little girl didn't and was so sure the car didn't see her little girl. Brooke made it five steps and was already terrified because she knew she wasn't going to make it.

A loud popping sound filled the air and Brooke didn't stop running as she saw a man's form suddenly appear next to Mercy and then both disappeared as the car screeched to a halt too late, skidding over where Mercy had been.

Brooke spun around, feeling that Mercy was still nearby. She found her baby being held up by a man on the front steps of the barber shop. Brooke ran around the now stopped car, ignoring it, as she ran up to him. "Mercedes Raine Jacobsen." Her voice was angry and controlled. "You know better than to wander off." She stopped on the front steps staring at her girl, but something was wrong, Mercedes wasn't looking at her. She was staring at the man that saved her.

Brooke turned to look at him and found herself staring too. He looked stunned as he looked from the little girl to Brooke, his own yellow eyes wide. "Fraulin, this is your little girl?"

"Yes." Brooke held out her arms for the child and she felt a bit nervous as he didn't hand her over right away.

"Kurt." Another voice spoke from the doorway and then trailed off. Brooke only glanced at the woman a moment, her focus on the man holding Mercy. "Oh my god, she looks like you."

Another voice spoke in a rough male joking tone. "We lose you for a moment and what did you get up to elf?"

Brooke took Mercedes in her arms and he let go as she did. "You scared mommy really bad." Brooke told the little girl and that got her attention.

"I'm sorry." Mercy looked ready to cry. "I found a blue man."

"I don't care, you know better than to run into the street or to run up to strangers. You know better Mercedes." Brooke scolded her, ignoring the shocked people staring at her. She knew it was a brunette young woman, and a rough looking man, along with the blue man.

Once she felt safer, holding Mercy, Brooke looked up at him. "Thank you." She whispered. Her eyes trailed over his skin, a shade so close to Mercy's, and his eyes were the same yellow. She noticed his hands were different, and his hair was dark.

"He's blue mommy." Mercy spoke up, squirming a little in her effort to see.

"Yes I see that." Brooke looked down at Mercy's wide eyes. "And you know you shouldn't talk about people like they aren't there."

Mercy looked right at his eyes. "You're blue." She told him, to show she knew he was listening. "I'm blue too." Mercy told him quietly.

"I see that little one." He spoke softly, gently, and it made Brooke feel a little better about him. His not letting go of Mercy right away had made her uneasy.

"She looks like she could be yours Kurt." The young woman spoke quietly to the man Brooke now knew was Kurt, and Brooke glanced at her. That was when she saw a stunned looking woman staring with her jaw partly opened at the both of them. Brooke watched as the woman took a step closer to the small crowd of three other strangers and stared at Mercy in shock, before staring at Brooke.

It felt intense and as that woman's form shifted to a familiar blue Brooke gripped her little girl a little tighter. Guilt filled her heart as she watched the shocked wide eyes and dropped jaw staring between her and the blue little girl in her arms.

Kurt spoke to the young woman. "I swear I've never met this woman in my life." Brooke tore her eyes away from Mystique and looked at the blue man again, making the connection. This was Mercy's half brother.

"Brooke?" Mystique's one word was loaded with questions and Brooke turned back to her.

"Momma, she's blue too." Mercy sounded delighted, but Brooke couldn't find a single word to say.


	4. Chapter 4

Hitchhiker

By Princess Alexandria

"Amazing, isn't it?" The brunette spoke, but the rough looking man seemed to give that girl a strange look that made her silent. Brooke's mind registered that, but her own words were still silenced as Mystique took a few steps closer.

"Hi." Mercy spoke a little loudly, her tone happy and welcoming. "I'm blue too." The little girl sounded so happy to be able to say that. It shook Brooke out of her haze and she swallowed hard.

"Hello Mystique." Brooke spoke softly, knowing her big secret was way out there now. She had planned to spill it gently if she was going to tell Mystique at all. She hadn't decided yet what she was going to do, but her decision was stolen now. "This is my little girl," Brooke shifted Mercy in her arms to make her just a little more comfortable to hold. "Mercedes."

Mystique seemed to take a rather deep breath from her nose and stared at the little girl. Brooke was nervous, because Mercy already seemed to like the blue woman and she prayed that Mystique would be kind in front of her little girl. If she wanted to yell and scream, Brooke prayed it wouldn't be in front of Mercy.

The rough man whispered but everyone could hear it. "Come on darlin' this place is getting crowded." He tugged on the brunettes arm and the woman stared at Brooke, but Brooke was too busy staring at Mystique to shift her attention to the eyes she could feel on her.

"I didn't know you had a daughter." Mystique spoke softly and stepped just a little closer. There was so much said in the tone.

"She's my little angel." Brooke moved just a little to the side letting two people walk passed her. Brooke glanced around at that and started to worry about the audience they might attract, a pair of two new blue people in town would attract attention and speculation. Her eyes shifted to Kurt and watched his wide eyes move from her to Mystique and back. He looked as stunned as Mystique had for that moment before she spoke.

Brooke didn't want to do this around a stranger, hell Mystique herself was a stranger. An intimate stranger, but still someone Brooke had only spent one day and night with. She didn't know her all that well. That made her nervous as she held Mercy tight.

"I'm Mystique." She introduced herself gently to Mercy, and Brooke watched as the woman stared at their daughter, something tender and still stunned in her eyes.

"I'm Mercy." Mercy almost hit Brooke in the chin as she shifted around trying to hold out her hand for a shake. Brooke dodged her head a little to avoid the collision.

"Did you leave this woman with your daughter?" Kurt's voice was low and angry and Brooke was startled by the coldness to it.

Mystique looked up from the hand she was shaking and stared right into Brooke's face as she spoke to him. "I didn't know I had one." Brooke blushed at the way she was being stared at by Mystique, and she finally had to look away.

Kurt looked startled, Brooke thought. She stared at him. "Um, do you think you could excuse us?" She asked him politely. He nodded just a little and then was suddenly not there. There was a stink to the air though.

Brooke shifted Mercy's weight in her arms and sighed while glancing at the small alley between the barbershop and the store next to it. It would have to do, because it was only a matter of time before the busy bodies of the town noticed this. "Hey baby, let's go get out of the sun." Brooke spoke gently to Mercy and then locked her eyes on Mystique and shifted her head toward the alley.

As they stepped into the alley Mercy was hanging her arm and head over Brooke's shoulder to talk to the woman behind them. "My Uncle calls me his blueberry. Do people call you a blueberry?"

"No, I can't say that they do." Mystique spoke tenderly and it started to calm Brooke a little.

"Oh." Mercy shifted and Brooke grimaced at the elbow to her ear, but she didn't turn around as she got where she'd been going, the semi-privacy of the alley. She was letting Mercy talk while she tried to think of what to say herself. Mercy was having the time of her life. "I'm three." The fingers left Brooke's shoulder and she felt Mystique step closer.

"One too many fingers doll." Mystique's voice was close and Brooke felt the woman so close. She turned and watched as Mystique gently corrected the number of fingers Mercy held up. "That's three." Mystique said once Mercy had it right.

Brooke shifted Mercy again, feeling her little girl getting a little heavy and lowered her to the ground, but she held Mercy's hand tightly. "I ah," Brooke ran a hand through her sweat damped hair and sighed while she looked at Mystique, who was standing rather still waiting for it. "I really didn't think I'd see you again." Brooke whispered as Mercy was busy pulling on her arm while trying to get closer to the blue woman. Brooke watched her little girl stretching her arm out to try and touch Mystique's blue skin.

"This wasn't an accident was it?" Mystique spoke softly, so it was hard to determine how angry she might be. "I'd apologize about not knowing I could do this, but I get the feeling you planned this." There was a hint of steel to the last words and Brooke really wished Jimmy was in town so she could drop her baby off before this discussion.

"I owe you a sugar cube." Brooke grinned a little weakly. "You bred the mare." Mystique's jaw tensed, but when Mercy managed to touch the blue woman's hand she stared down and then opened it so that Mercy could hold her hand.

"You're blue." Mercy said, sounding enthralled. "I bet my Uncle will call you a blueberry if you want."

Brooke took a deep breath and looked up from her little girl at Mystique. "I got just what I wanted." She admitted it while forcing her body to relax. "A nice night and my little girl." Brooke wondered if her smile looked as much like a grimace as it felt.

"Why?" Mystique didn't seem to want to complain as Mercy started to swing her arms, swinging Brooke's and Mystique's with hers.

"None of the donors I was trying to pick from were right." Brooke glanced out to see that rough man leaning on the wall of the grocery store, appearing to be watching out for her truck. She hadn't locked it, but this was a small town. No one was likely to try and steal it, well unless Mystique's son inherited his mother's tendency to steal cars. "I liked your look, and your style. I breed horses, and the same principles work in humans, people claim there is more to it, but it's just breeding. I wanted a strong, attractive, and intelligent set of genes for my little girl and when I ran into the chance just when it was time, well, I took it."

"Mommy I have lots of jeans." Mercy said, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion on her face. "What jeans are you talking about?"

Mystique grinned just a little at Mercy's comment. "Maybe she's talking about the one's you're wearing. I think they look nice." Mystique squatted down and really looked at Mercy. She even reached out and straightened Mercy's shirt for her. Brooke let go of Mercy's hand and just watched the two interact. She was under no delusions; she knew that she was only being let off the hook this much because Mercy was there.

"You have my eyes." Mystique spoke softly and smiled at Mercy.

"No silly, I have my own eyes." Mercy gently slapped Mystique's arm and laughed.

……………………..


	5. Chapter 5

Hitchhiker

By Princess Alexandria

It felt like nothing had been said or resolved by the time Brooke, Mercy and Mystique stepped back out from between the buildings. Mystique stayed blue as they walked out into the sun and approached the road.

"We will need to talk." Mystique spoke quietly and firmly as she stood beside Brooke and Brooke sighed and nodded.

"Checking both sides baby?" She spoke to Mercy.

"All clear." Mercy informed her, but Brooke had been checking herself as well so she knew that.

Brooke felt Mystique matching her steps across the street, but she kept her eyes on the truck. Her plans for the day were pretty much cancelled, Brooke thought as she noticed the ice cream parlor she'd been planning to take Mercy to.

The rough looking man nodded just a little to her as Brooke approached her truck. "Damn, I left the frozens in the shop." She stared at Mercy who was busy looking at the rough man and smiling at Mystique.

Brooke looked over at Mystique and took a deep breath. "Can you watch her for a second while I get the rest of the groceries?" Brooke felt her heart clench in a bit of fear, but this was an act of trust she was showing, a deliberate one. "She likes you."

Mystique's jaw tensed a moment, but then the woman looked down at the little girl trying to take her hand. "I guess I could for a minute." Mystique said it but her voice was a little flat.

"I know you like to steal things." Brooke whispered, her eyes a little desperate. Mystique just let out a long breath and rolled her eyes.

"We'll be right here." The blue woman said while squatting down to pick Mercy up. "I'm definitely not leaving town without our little talk." The woman said and Brooke just nodded, before turning and walking quickly into the store.

The rough man stared at her as she walked past.

Once she was in the store Mrs. Johnson spoke, "I saw a blue man." The woman said, but Brooke wasn't slowing down as she headed for the back of the store.

"Not able to talk right now." She called back as she made her way down the aisle. Mrs. Johnson was getting on in age, but the woman was out from behind her register and starting to follow her.

"Is that Mercy's daddy?" Mrs. Johnson asked. "Why a man can't do the right thing and marry…"

Brooke glared at her. "I don't know him. If you hadn't noticed a lot of people are blue, now I need to get going." She opened the freezer door and grabbed two bags, before turning. She had to pass Mrs. Johnson. "I'm gay Mrs. Johnson. I know you've heard this before, so suggesting I marry any man is like me telling you to find a good woman."

The grocery owner's eyes widened and Brooke took a deep breath, and just shook her head. Normally she didn't snap at the woman like this, she made every effort to be polite. "I'm sorry, it's a stressful day. I'll talk to you later."

Brooke's stride was long and fast as she reached the door and she pushed it opened, a fear she'd felt ever since she left her little girl loosened as she saw that Mystique and Mercy were still there. In fact it looked like Mystique was putting Mercy in the car seat for her.

Brooke tossed the bags into the truck and then stood awkwardly outside of the driver's side, staring at the woman who'd just finished closing the truck door with her daughter inside. Brooke bit her lip a little. "I," Brooke glanced over to see the rough man was smoking and looking away. It was an illusion of privacy. "Well, I need to take the groceries home and I can get my brother to babysit. Do you want to meet tonight?" It felt like Brooke was arranging for her own thrashing and she didn't like it.

"Oh I think I'll stick around for this." Mystique spoke quietly, a bit firmly.

"You might want to tell your boy to change his skin, the people around here are already talking about how much he looks like Mercy." Brooke blushed a little.

"He can't." Mystique shifted her standing pose a little. "Where are we gonna meet?"

Brooke struggled to think of a place they could talk privately. When she thought of one, she told Mystique how to get there. The bar was out of town, and a long drive for Brooke, but it was away from the locals who were going to be talking more than enough already.

Mystique held her door opened after Brooke got in the car. Her eyes were penetrating. "If you don't show, I have ways to find you." Mystique spoke quietly and Brooke felt a small hint of fear at that.

"I'll be there." She promised and then swallowed a little as she watched Mystique's expression become more friendly as the woman said goodbye to Mercy.

Mercy spent most of the drive home talking about the blue people. She was excited and repeated herself often. Brooke just managed to make small noises, pretending to listen, as she dreaded that night.

……………

After a dinner where Jimmy listened to Mercy talk about her day and Brooke didn't talk at all, Brooke was getting ready for her night. Her hair was partly put up and she had carefully put on her makeup. This type of cleaning up wasn't something she did even once a year, but she was working very hard to look her best.

She was sitting at the table in her bedroom working on her eyes when her bedroom door opened slowly. "What's going on?" Jimmy asked quietly.

Brooke sighed and turned to look at her brother. He'd given her questioning looks ever since Mercy started talking about the blue people. "I didn't pay for the sperm donor Jimmy." She admitted quietly. "They would have noticed mutant genes brother, you were right." She spoke softly and sighed while looking away. "I spent a night with someone to get Mercy. It seemed more real, I didn't feel comfortable with an info sheet and a tube of sperm. I couldn't know what her daddy was like that way. I wanted to know what I was getting, hear a voice, see the lines and grace. I wanted to check out the stallion and know I had a winner." She sighed heavily and put her makeup down on the table heavily. "Only I expected it to be one night and that no one would know, but it didn't happen that way."

"You slept with some guy you barely knew?" He sounded stunned.

Brooke grimaced just a little. "Actually I found a woman that could father a child Jimmy, there were no men involved. I thought it was perfect, but she ran through town yesterday and then today she saw Mercy and me. She's not happy."

"Ah Hell." He muttered and sat down on her bed heavily. He was quiet so Brooke shakily worked on her hair, trying to make it perfect as he stared at her. "I'm not even ready to talk about the whole woman thing, what were you thinking doing a one night stand? That was dangerous."

"She was a real winner Jimmy. Graceful, strong, nice voice, good bones, nice temperament." Brooke recalled all the things she'd thought about as she was driving in the rain years ago.

"Dammit Brooke!" Jimmy's voice rose and Brooke looked into the mirror to see him staring at her in the reflection. "You weren't breeding a horse, you were making a baby."

Brooke stared into his reflected eyes in the mirror, her own eyes unblinking. "And I made a damn fine baby Jimmy. You may think I did wrong, but you can't watch her climb and play and not think that's the most graceful baby you ever did see. She's smart, and she's sweet, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I just didn't pay for the stud service brother, but I made damned sure we both enjoyed that night Mercy was conceived. I thought that would be payment enough, and it would have been if we'd never met again. I don't have time to argue with you about this, I have to go meet that woman and explain myself."

"Are you in trouble sis?" His voice softened.

"You know how pissed I'd be if someone borrowed my prize stallion and bred him?" She grinned weakly. "I think she's madder than that."

His shoulders slumped a little. "I could bring Mercy to Grandma's and go with you." He offered and she smiled weakly at his willingness to be in her corner.

"You don't need to. I did this and I can face her myself." Brooke turned to look at him. "I need to do this myself."

"And you're dressing up for it. Do you think you can sleep yourself out of this mess?" He asked.

"I was thinking about it." She admitted ruefully. "Hey, do you think I have a shot at getting Mercy a sister tonight?" She joked weakly. He smiled just a little, but it was clear it was an effort.

"If Mercy gets a sister, I suggest you pay for the stud service. Less trouble." He stood up. "Well, I better to see what the blueberry is up to and let you put another layer of paint on that face. You'll need all the help you can get."

He moved to the doorway, but then just turned around to face her. "People aren't horses Brooke, they're more complicated. I know you've never really got it, but tonight try. Really try to remember it isn't breeding and stud service to other people. Normal people talk about relationships and love Brooke, they don't talk about genes and compensation for services. If it were me some woman did this to, I'd be really upset. Don't talk like this is horses tonight, you need her to see that you just wanted someone to love." Brooke took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She couldn't tear up and ruin her make up. "I'll stay here tonight and feed Mercy in the morning. You do whatever you have to." He shook his head and Brooke had the feeling he really hated saying that.

Brooke turned back to the mirror and shakily worked to finish her makeup. It was sad she was going to an angry Mystique, because if the situation were different she would be looking forward to tonight. Brooke hadn't been with anyone since the last time she'd spent a night with the blue woman, and chances weren't good for that changing.

She'd named Mercy after that night. It was a Mercedes that Mystique had stolen, and it was the rain that lead to Brooke being the only one to help the shapeshifter out. Mercedes Raine, Brooke sighed as she packed some makeup into her purse. She'd wanted to be able to tell her little girl about her 'daddy' someday when she was older, much older. At least old enough to understand what Brooke was telling her and why she'd done it.

……………….

It was dark by the time Brooke pulled up to the bar. She turned her truck off and sighed heavily, making no motion to get out of the truck just yet. She grabbed her rearview mirror and checked her appearance one last time and then took a deep breath while she opened the door.

Music got a little louder as someone stepped out of the bar and Brooke started to walk a little slower as she squared her shoulders and decided to not go in there like a dog ready to be beaten. Brooke stared at the door a moment and then started to move more confidently.

The bar was a little busy, but not too crowded. Brooke looked around and immediately realized she had a problem. There was no blue woman in there, and Mystique could be absolutely anyone. She could also be late or could have stood her up. Brooke looked over the people carefully, looking to see if anyone was looking at her, anyone at all.

There were a few appreciative glances, but nothing like recognition in the faces she studied. "This is just great." Brooke muttered and then had to move away from the door so someone else could leave.

With nothing else she could do she sat down at the bar and waved the bartender over to get a beer. When the man next to her shifted and looked at her Brooke sighed a little before taking a sip of her beer and waited for the lame come on.

"I don't think I've seen you here before." He said it.

"Yes ya have Bob. I turn you down every time." She muttered and turned to look over the room again. She hadn't been to this bar more than five times, but twice this man hit on her. He was always persistent. This was going to be a lovely evening.

…………………


	6. Chapter 6

Hitchhiker

By Princess Alexandria

Brooke sighed heavily as she looked at the clock and saw only ten minutes had passed. It felt like an hour. She swiveled in her chair and looked around again, but this time her eyes caught someone staring at her a bit differently. Brooke stared back at the man, her memory nagging her as she looked at him. He looked familiar, but she couldn't really place him.

His eyes stared into her and Brooke took a chance, she ordered another beer and then picked up hers and the new one while standing up. She moved toward him and felt a little apprehensive as she hoped she was right. If not she'd look foolish. "Do I know you?" She asked as she got to his table. A few men nearby laughed at something, but she didn't look over at them.

"Perhaps." His voice was slightly weary and Brooke slowly moved to slide into the other side of his booth and set her beer down, and then pushed the other one across the table. He took it, but didn't take a sip. He stared at her. "Why?"

Brooke looked into his eyes again and was finally able to relax a little as they flashed yellow for just a second, confirming her guess. "I wanted a baby." Brooke sighed and stared down at her drink. "I was on my way to get artificially inseminated. It wasn't a procedure I was looking forward to, but I didn't know any other way. I knew a few men that would have loved to give it to me for free, but either their genes were nothing special or I thought they'd expect the marriage route and I'm not interested in men. I just wanted a baby." Brooke's fingers played with her glass nervously as she went quieter. "When I found out you could be a man, well, I thought maybe that was a better way to go. You were just enough man to make it possible. I don't feel anything for men, but you stayed woman enough that I could do it. I even enjoyed it." Brooke blushed a little and went quiet.

Brooke looked up slowly and watched as Mystique in a male form stared at her. "Why me? You had to know what she'd inherit."

Brooke glanced around and realized that Mystique didn't feel free to talk about that here. Brooke rarely said the word, it just didn't come up, but she leaned forward and spoke quieter. "My little girl is beautiful just the way she is. I wouldn't change a thing about her. Yeah she's a mutant, and some day she'll realize what that is. I'll just help her as best I can." Brooke stared into Mystique's eyes and spoke slower. "I saw so much in you that I wanted for my little girl, a little blue skin was hardly a deal breaker for me. You have good genes, I didn't know how good, but I did know they were good." Brooke stopped herself just shy of talking about good breeding and remembered what Jimmy said.

Mystique looked rather thoughtful as she stared at the table and Brooke just watched her. "I'm sorry if you feel it was wrong of me." Brooke spoke softly. "And I'm sure this was a shock. I'm sorry you found out like this." Brooke went quieter and stared into Mystique's eyes. "But I'm not sorry for picking you, and I'm not sorry for having her. I was right in picking you, because she came out so beautifully. She's everything I wanted, everything."

Mystique just shook her head and smiled a little, just a little, at Brooke. Brooke noticed the slight amusement. "I always thought if I was involved in a conversation like this I'd be on the other side of the table." The amusement faded. "I've been there before Brooke. Kurt was the result of numerous one night stands in an attempt to get pregnant." Mystique sighed. "It didn't end happily ever after. I didn't raise him. I adopted Rogue later and I raised her, but I didn't raise him. It would have been hard to raise a blue child."

"I'm okay with hard." Brooke said slowly, but she felt strange thinking that the woman wouldn't have raised her boy. She couldn't imagine walking away from Mercy.

"Did you really expect her to be blue?" Mystique asked.

"Of course. Something like that has to be the dominant genes." Brooke spoke, thinking of her horses and how she picked studs or mares for her own horses. "Also thought she might change forms like you, but she hasn't done anything like that yet."

"She might not." Mystique glanced around the bar. "I got a room, we could talk there."

Brooke had been starting to relax, and the idea of a change of scenery had her tensing up again. It felt awkward, just as it was starting to feel comfortable. "Okay." She spoke as she grabbed her beer and took another deep drink before setting the glass down. A bit more to drink would have been nice.

When they got up Brooke noticed that Mystique hadn't had anything to drink, and there was no glass on her table. She stared at the untouched bottle and then up at the form Mystique was wearing.

"I thought it would be a good idea to stay sober. I don't need to father any more children." Mystique told her and there was a hint of steel under the kind sounding voice, a hint of anger, but it wasn't nearly what Brooke expected.

Brooke smiled weakly as they started to walk out together. "Well that's a shame, Mercy would have liked a sister." She semi-joked, as if she hadn't considered it.

"I think you'll find raising her enough trouble once she's old enough to go to school." Mystique said and then opened the door for them to leave. "If you'd asked me I would have told you raising an obvious mutant will be hard." Brooke sighed as she stepped out into the slightly warmer night. The door closed behind them as Brooke waited to see which direction Mystique went, toward the motel a few blocks away or toward a car to get to the one across town.

Mystique just started walking, so Brooke moved to walk with her, noticing they walked passed all the cars in the parking lot. That answered that question, she thought, but she still felt a bit nervous. "I think I've been doing okay so far." Brooke spoke quietly as they walked over the rock covered parking lot toward the road.

"Well at least you got this far without a lynch mob chasing you." Mystique muttered. "I was still giving birth when I had to grab Kurt and run." Brooke's eyes widened a little at that idea. Giving birth had been rather hard on her, she couldn't imagine doing much of anything right afterward. She'd never even considered that people seeing Mercy would put them in danger, she'd been more worried about a safe delivery.

"My Doctor was a little stunned, but she covered it up and treated us well." Brooke spoke quietly of the day she'd given birth. "I know that not every mother got to keep their baby in their room, and it was probably to keep other people from seeing her, but I was happier with her nearby anyhow."

Mystique glanced over at her, before looking along the deserted road and shifting to her true form. "Lucky you, your doctor was probably a closet mutant."

"I don't think so." Brooke considered the words quietly. "Maybe, but I hardly think it matters. She was nice enough." Mystique's expression said it all, the woman didn't believe Brooke's words. Brooke just sighed and stared at the ground to make sure she didn't twist her ankle on a rock kicked into the street from the parking lot. There were a few as drunk men liked to spin their wheels.

They were silent for a while, and Brooke debated about the wisdom of saying what she was thinking, but she just felt she had to. "I thought you'd be a bit madder. My brother said if it were him a woman did this to he'd be pissed."

Mystique's sigh was loud enough to hear and Brooke glanced at the woman's face. "I was pretty mad. I wasn't sure you hadn't done it to have a shape shifting daughter, that it wasn't about my powers. I've had to stop scientists from cloning me." Brooke stopped walking as she just turned to stare.

"They can clone people now?" Her voice rose in her shock.

"They aren't supposed to, but they don't really consider mutants people." Mystique's jaw was clenched and Brooke felt a wave of empathy as she felt she was finally starting to get some idea why Mystique had been apprehensive years ago when Brooke stopped to help her.

"Damn." Brooke whispered and when Mystique was still in motion Brooke had to continue to walk. "I can see why they'd pick you, but that's just wrong."

"My powers are my own." Mystique sounded passionate about that.

Brooke spoke more slowly. "I was thinking about your genes actually." Her mind on horses again she forgot her brother's advice. "You've got nice lines, you're strong and fast, I'd say you were a prime racehorse if you were a horse, probably make a killing breeding and racing you. You're no barnyard horse."

Mystique laughed. "Oh I forgot how uniquely you saw the world." The woman shook her head and Brooke blushed. "I can't believe you see all that and ignore the obvious mutation."

"My horses don't really care about each other's color." Brooke muttered and waited for Mystique to start walking again. "I figure that's the way everyone aught to be."

The blue woman stared at Brooke a little too long, a small look of sympathy in her eyes. "You'll find people aren't like horses Brooke, so will Mercy."

"I know they aren't." Brooke's voice snapped a little. Her brother was always saying that to her. "It's why I prefer horses."

"So why didn't you have a little centaur?" Mystique asked in a lewd way and Brooke blushed hotly while glaring at the woman.

"So here we are." Mystique turned to the parking lot they were standing in front of. "Yet another dive in my long line of dives I've stayed at." Brooke looked at the building and had to agree the place wasn't pleasant looking. There were probably more truck drivers here than anything else, and in a place like this the desperate had no choices.

Brooke looked at the place and then at the woman next to her. "You inviting me here for any special reason? You don't seem mad, so what do we have to talk about?" Brooke's eyes lingered on that form that inspired her plan to breed this woman years ago.

"You interested without the secret plot to steal my sperm?" Mystique smirked at her and Brooke nibbled on her lip a bit. "I know you aren't much for romance, so I figure this dive isn't going to drive you off."

Brooke grinned just a little. Part of her had hoped for a repeat performance. "Jimmy said he'd watch Mercy all night." Brooke said with a small smile.

Mystique just looked at her a moment after she'd said that and it dawned on Brooke that it sounded like she'd planned to stay. She had hoped, but hopefully it wasn't a deal breaker.

"You're family okay with Mercy?" Mystique asked quietly as they just stood in front of the parking lot.

"They love her, but she doesn't see anyone but Jimmy and Grandma often. Jimmy stays for the summers and Grandma lives in a small house on the corner of the property. My parents don't live in Texas and they don't live together. They thought they needed at least a state between them when they split up. They almost never visit and I don't take Mercy on joyrides to places I don't know." Brooke answered Mystique, wondering at the concern.

"That's a good idea. From what I've seen of your town they are unusually accepting of mutants, but strangely they don't like Kurt too much." Mystique smirked just a little.

"They think he's the daddy." Brooke admitted as they started to walk towards the buildings.

"Yeah, I gathered that when he got a lecture about treating a woman right from one of the locals." Mystique grinned a little.

"It is none of their damned business." Brooke shook her head in disgust.

Mystique started to pull a key out of her pocket as they moved towards the rows of doors. "It felt a bit strange to watch him take the blame when I know the child's mine." Mystique spoke quietly. The word mine in that line worried Brooke a little. She wasn't sure how to deal with it, because as far as she was concerned Mercy was Brooke's and Brooke's alone, but then there was how happy Mercy was to see other blue people. This was getting messy and Brooke had gotten pregnant this way to avoid the mess. It didn't work.

The door opened and Brooke looked in at slightly broken furniture and a lamp that barely did its job. "Welcome to the Love Shack." Mystique teased as she waved her arm out to encourage Brooke to go in first. Brooke looked down to make sure there were no visible rats before she did. It was that nice.

……………


	7. Chapter 7

Hitchhiker

By Princess Alexandria

Brooke was panting and sweat lightly covered her skin as she rolled fully onto her back. "Okay, I don't think we really broke the bed. I suspect it was broken already." She grinned a little as the blue woman leaned over her, red hair tickling Brooke's chest a little before Mystique was staring down into her eyes. "Okay, we broke the bed." Brooke laughed as Mystique grinned at her. They'd almost slipped off when a leg of the bed gave way.

"Well what do you expect cowgirl? You were riding me like I was a bronco." Mystique leaned down and kissed her lips gently. Brooke kind of liked that, it was new. Last time there was passionate kissing, but this gentle kiss was also a little confusing.

"You mean you aren't?" Brooke's eyes widened in pretend shock.

Mystique rolled over and stood up. "Just give me a minute to break the other three legs and we can get back to work."

Brooke laughed, and then squealed in shock a little as Mystique lifted the bed a little and tried to kick another leg off of the frame. "Damn, I knew you were strong." Brooke watched blue arms and liked the play of muscles. "But I think we could just drag this thing onto the floor if you want." Brooke patted the mattress. It was clear neither of them considered the night done.

Brooke was delighted when that was followed by a quick tug to the mattress. Brooke managed to roll off of it before it was pulled onto the ground. "Gee, don't worry about me. I'm just the woman you're screwing tonight." Brooke teased. "I'm fine."

Mystique let go of the mattress with a bit of flair after it was completely on the floor. "There." Mystique looked up at her with a playful expression and Brooke found herself smiling a little more gently, a bit more shyly, back. "So if the lady would like to join me I think this should be stable enough."

"Ever do it in a stable?" Brooke asked as she walked around the stained and naked looking box spring and broken frame towards the mattress. She'd made out in a stable or two when she was younger. "It isn't all that great. Hay in bad places."

Mystique didn't respond, she just moved closer and leaned in, kissing her. Brooke's teasing and playful feelings faded as she felt hands caress her back and move down the pull her closer. "Jesus, you're amazing." Brooke groaned out as they slowly started to lower themselves onto the bed.

A loud knock on the door startled them both and Brooke stared with wide eyes at Mystique. "Come on Darkholme, you better answer this." A male voice called out and Mystique sighed heavily.

"That's Logan." She muttered and stood up, clothing suddenly appearing. "What is it?" the woman yelled out.

"I got something for ya." Logan yelled through the door and Brooke quickly used the sheet to cover herself as Mystique cracked open the door. Brooke could see him shove a bag into the opening and Mystique took it slowly. "Use them." He said and then Brooke heard steps walking away.

Mystique turned to give Brooke a slightly puzzled look after closing and locking the door, but it turned to a bit of a blush as the woman pulled out a box with the words Trojan all over it.

"He brought you condoms?" Brooke asked, wondering at how close these people were. She felt a small bit of guilt, but she also was amused at Mystique's expression.

The blue woman looked up and sighed. "I bet this is just the beginning of the jokes."

"I'm sorry." Brooke apologized softly.

Mystique looked at the box a moment. "Large, at least he thinks a lot of me." Mystique smirked and Brooke felt some relief seeing it. Mystique looked at her. "Do you want me to use them?"

Brooke went quiet as she considered what Mystique could be asking. Either the woman wanted to know if they could have unprotected sex that might give Mercy a sister or brother, or she was asking if they could play kinky again. "I can't afford another baby right now." Brooke spoke quietly. "I'm short handed on the ranch."

"So you want me to grow one and put a rubber on it or do you want to not play that way?" Mystique asked, crawling onto the mattress with the box in one hand and a curious expression. "I kind of liked it last time." Mystique whispered. "But I'm not sure how I got you pregnant or if it could happen again."

Brooke glanced at the box and then reached for it with a shy smile. "Let's see if I can figure out how to operate one of these." She opened the box. "Oh look, a manual." She joked, but the blue woman took the condom instructions out of her hand.

"I think I can do this." Mystique smirked and opened the wrapper.

After the condom was in place Brooke just stared at it for a bit longer, until Mystique gave a fake cough to get her attention. "Let's see if I can ride bronco." Mystique teased and then leaned in to kiss Brooke again.

"You know that thing looks ridiculous right?" Brooke spoke as she was gently encouraged onto her back.

"Rubbers aren't supposed to be art." Mystique told her before kissing her neck.

"I meant your cock." Brooke smirked as she got gently bit for that comment.

……………..

Hours later Brooke opened her eyes slowly to stare at the stained ceiling, noticing the sun shining in through small tears in the curtain. A quick glance to the side showed no one else on the mattress. "Great." Brooke muttered, not liking the sneaking out this time.

"What's great?" The voice startled her and Brooke rolled over to see Mystique combing out damp hair.

"Oh," Brooke stared a moment, not sure what to say. "I guess we'll do the morning after this time?" She finally said and it got her a searching look from the blue woman.

"I was thinking I can't really sneak out of my own hotel room." Mystique told her and put the brush down. "Not to mention I think I ripped your shirt and I need to get you a new one."

"Oh." Brooke glanced around and noticed the remains of her shirt in the corner. She'd forgotten about that.

"How are you feeling?" Mystique asked gently and Brooke found herself staring at the woman. It was a little tender the way Mystique asked that.

"I'm feeling pretty good." Brooke smiled a little as she shifted. She left out the part where she was a little sore from the evening. She wouldn't be riding any of her horses today.

After they got dressed they left for breakfast. Brooke felt a little strange about the way Mystique rested her hand on the small of Brooke's back as they walked out the door. It didn't really bother her, but she didn't know what to think of it.

The rough looking man was standing near a van smoking a cigar. "Hey." He nodded at them, and Brooke could tell he was smirking a little, before he looked away.

"Ignore him." Mystique said as she fell in line next to Brooke. They walked for a little while and Mystique started to talk. "We were on a mission in the area, but it's pretty much done now." Brooke glanced at Mystique, wondering about the word mission. It wasn't a normal word to use. "We'll probably be heading out."

"Oh." Brooke felt a little disappointed, but she shoved that feeling away. "Well if you ever want to visit feel free." Brooke thought of her little girl. "I think Mercy needs to see other blue people. She is always looking for pictures. I find her watching any show on TV with blue people. I had to stop her from watching some Gargoyles cartoon, because the only really blue character was the evil one. I didn't want her thinking, well…" Brooke's words trailed off, wondering if she'd overreacted to that cartoon.

"You know, I've been called a mutant and a freak, but I've never been lumped together as a member of the blue race before." Mystique teased quietly. Brooke blushed, wondering if she was being very un-PC and didn't know it. "Maybe I can manage to swing by. I know some other people she'd like to meet if she's interested in meeting 'blue people.'"

"That would be nice." Brooke nodded, wondering if she'd really see this woman again after today.

They ate and then Mystique walked Brooke back to her truck. It felt a bit awkward, but Brooke got into the truck and drove away.

…………………


	8. Chapter 8

Hitchhiker

By Princess Alexandria

Mystique stared out the window of the jet, watching field after field under them. Her chin rested on her palm as she sat quietly. The others weren't talking all that much so she didn't pay attention to them.

A child, it was a bit stunning still. Mystique stared down at the land her child would grow up on, taking in the remoteness and the wildness of it all. A bunch of horses were running on a stretch under them as they started to climb and Mystique wondered if that was Brooke's ranch or another.

"Momma?" Rogue's voice was soft and gentle. The girl rarely talked to her like that anymore, their history too hard to keep these softer emotions. Mystique turned to look into Rogue's face as the girl moved to sit beside her. "I heard."

Of course she'd heard, Rogue was the only one not there when they all met Mercy. "And?" Mystique spoke wearily, her body was tired from the lack of sleep, but also leaving before she'd decided she wanted to was unpleasant. She still had business here, but the mission was cancelled. It better damned well be cancelled, she thought a little more angrily.

"Did ya tell her about the school?" Rogue asked gently.

"It wasn't a clone, that's all we need to worry about." Mystique turned back to stare out the window. "I'm not taking her child away from her, and Mercy's too young anyhow."

Emma Frost had sent them on this mission and Mystique had jumped on it as soon as she heard it was her own genetic signature they'd picked up in Texas. Both had been convinced that a clone had been made in spite of Mystique's mission a while ago to stop the operation.

Mercedes was no clone, she was her daughter, Mystique sighed heavily. Yet another child she didn't have the time or ability to raise. This had been a reminder of her early and brief time with Kurt as a baby, and the horrible decision she'd made to save herself at his expense.

She couldn't see Brooke making that same decision. Mystique turned to look at Rogue. "I may work with you all, but if anyone scares Brooke by showing up at her ranch and talking about taking Mercy away to school, well…" Mystique shook her head and stopped talking, leaving the threat unsaid. It wasn't Rogue that would do that, it was Emma.

They sat quietly as the jet kept going up, making seeing any details on the ground impossible. "How did you meet Brooke?" Rogue asked and Mystique smiled just a little.

"The car I was driving broke down and she stopped to pick me up." Mystique leaned her chin on her hand and stared out the window again. Her pose finally got through to Rogue, who stopped talking with her, but the girl didn't move. She stayed in the seat next to Mystique for the ride back to New York.

………………

"This is most fascinating." Hank muttered as he stared at her and Mystique rolled her eyes and glanced over at Kurt, who had let it slip that Mystique was fathering children now. A few people had stopped the process of eating and stared at her as well. They had arrived back just before dinner and were going to report back after eating, but Kurt couldn't avoid saying this. "Considering the implications, it is no surprise that your offspring is female, but the fact that your mutation allows you to reproduce both as a female and a male is most intriguing."

"I wonder how many other little blue kids she's left in her wake." Kitty muttered, but it wasn't quiet enough and everyone heard. Mystique glared at the girl for a moment.

"I really don't see this as dinner conversation, but if you'd all like details of what I did to get that woman pregnant, I'm game." She smirked at the blush over the young woman's face as Kitty looked away. "One thing I can tell you is it was definitely something only I could do, and I don't do often, so there are probably not a lot of kids out there with my genes."

"Please don't give us details." Kitty spoke a little coldly.

"Why should I when I can see your little mind it already filling them in." Mystique teased back, and caught the small smirk on Emma's face that told her she was right about what Kitty was thinking.

It was an awkward moment, but someone brought up some other topic and Mystique was left alone. She still got some searching looks, but talk about Mercy didn't fill the room, just their thoughts.

Hank asked her to visit his lab after dinner, a deviation from the norm after a mission, but Mystique just nodded. She'd like to understand how she'd gotten a woman pregnant too, because she only had a vague idea that only included the mechanics, but the way she created sperm was completely beyond her. Mystique didn't want any accidental pregnancies now that her powers seemed to have gone up a notch. She just wasn't looking forward to the embarrassing tests.


	9. Chapter 9

Hitchhiker

By Princess Alexandria

Chapter 9 of 10

"The doc hasn't cleared me yet." Jake's voice spoke from over the phone and Brooke grimaced at the words. She'd been really counting on him healing faster. "He said in a month I may be able to do light work, but not the stuff I normally do. Not for another two months."

Brooke sighed. "Well we can't have you hurting yourself more." She spoke gently, knowing the older man would feel bad about this. "I can find some smaller things for you to do around here when you can come. There are a lot of small jobs that just don't ever get done." She wasn't about to reward loyalty with a kick in the ass on the way out the door, but dammit she was screwed now. She couldn't in good conscience pay him less, and now she needed a temporary ranch hand for two, maybe three months. She couldn't just toss Jake back into it all without help or he could end up laid up again.

As she hung up she turned to see Jimmy watching her. "You need me to stay?" He asked softly.

"No, you go back to school. I'll figure something out." Brooke gave him a small smile. Her brother was her saving grace. He came and helped every summer, and in the past week since Mystique left he'd politely asked no questions. "I'll see if Mr. Bradshaw has any connections. I'm sure I can find someone for a couple months while you study."

"You and the blueberry gonna be okay?" He asked and Brooke's eyes fell to his packed bags near the door.

Her smile was a little weak and she knew it. She always missed him after he left. "We'll be fine. You need a lift?"

"Just to Bradshaw's. Tommy said he'd take me to town. Him and the boys are probably planning to give me a hard time." Jimmy told her and Brooke nodded.

With Mercy in the back of the truck they drove to Mr. Bradshaw's, and Brooke could see Tommy's truck waiting in the parking lot, along with a few other vehicles. She dropped her brother off with a brief hug and then took Mercy inside the store.

She knew there would be a crying fit once Mercy realized Uncle Jimmy was gone again, she'd done that last time. Brooke was hoping that Jimmy and the boys got out of the parking lot so they didn't have the screaming and begging as well.

Brooke could hardly blame her little girl for it, if she weren't an adult she might consider trying that as well. Sadly she was so she had to smile like it was okay that the only adult she had to talk to left. Jake wasn't as talkative and now he wasn't even there.

"Hey Mr. Bradshaw." Brooke said with a small smile as she noticed the old man sitting at a table. With her hand firmly holding Mercy's she walked further in and took the seat he was pointing to. "Jake's doc didn't release him for work yet."

"Oh." Mr. Bradshaw went quiet, fully understanding the dilemma.

"I need some temporary hands. I was hoping you'd heard of someone." Brooke hadn't had to hire before. Jake came with her granddaddy's place. So did a few other people, some gone now, and some still around during the busier times, but they couldn't do this with fewer people.

"I don't know how safe it is for you to be hiring some man you don't know. It's just you girls out there." Mr. Bradshaw said slowly.

"Well how many women you think do this job?" Brooke sighed. "Not like I have a whole lot of choice do I?"

"I'll start checking around for you." He told her, looking serious.

"Thanks." Looking around meant he hadn't heard of anyone, and it meant Brooke was going to have a tough time of it for a while until they could hunt down some stranger to help out.

When they left they were just getting Mercy strapped in when it happened, the little girl noticed someone was missing. Brooke winced at the level her little voice got to as she explained that Jimmy went to school and he'd be back for Christmas.

………………….

"You know I love you right." Brooke smiled at her grandma as she dropped Mercy off again. The older woman normally babysat some, but lately Mercy spent more time at her place than at home.

Grandma nodded just a little and once Mercy walked into the house, heading for the toys in the corner she spoke quietly. "Your Granddaddy at least had someone else, me."

"Well that was when the west was young and love was real." Brooke muttered, surprised by the old conversation.

"I could just spank your mother for what she did to you. It had to be her because I know my boy at least knows better than to teach his little girl to not waste time on love." Grandma muttered a little angrily. Brooke felt defensive and a little bitter at the insinuation. "Love is not an illusion. You love Jimmy and you love Mercy. Why is it so hard to imagine loving some else?"

"Kind of a moot point now grandma. I'm working at least eighty hours a week and barely have time for Mercy. Not really ready to find myself a woman." Brooke sighed heavily. She wouldn't even know where to start with that.

"I just hate seeing you give up before you even start." Grandma shook her head. "You're so young, too young for this."

"I gotta go. The horses don't like it when I'm late with breakfast." Brooke turned to leave. Older people could take the time to believe in romantic love, but she knew it was a passing phase, one that left before her generation.

Brooke had Mercy and it was enough, she thought as she tossed her hat into the cab of the truck and slipped inside.

The sun was much less scalding in mid October. Brooke still wore her hat to prevent sunburns, but working through the day was now possible. She wasn't sure that was a good thing, because now she only was able to take a small lunch break to see her little girl. She worked early and stayed at work late and Mercy was tired or sleeping when Brooke was home with her.

The hunt for ranch hands wasn't going well, but Brooke wasn't sure how long she could keep up this pace. Her back ached all the time and she was always tired. She didn't complain, she never was a complainer, but it was hard work. No man would be able to keep up her pace, she thought, even knowing that a single admission that she was having trouble in town would result in the men claiming it was because she was a woman.

Brooke finished her work on the fence before she took her truck to Mr. Bradshaw's for more hay. She stopped her truck at his place and just sat there for a moment, taking a breath, before she knew she'd have to load hay. Maybe she'd go in and see about some nice pain killers first, Brooke thought as she got out of the truck and started for the store instead of the barn with the hay.

As she picked up the pills she also grabbed some caffeine pills. She didn't want to sleep through all her time with her daughter, so she wasn't sleeping enough.

"I thought I had someone, but he didn't work out." Mr. Bradshaw said quietly as he started to ring her up. The bell on the door went off, but Brooke was busy pulling her wallet out. "I'm sorry it's taking so long."

"It's okay. I'm glad you're helping me. I just don't even have time to look for help." Brooke said as she pulled out a twenty dollar bill and looked up.

"If they don't have trouble working for a woman, well, I just don't trust them around Mercy." Mr. Bradshaw spoke quietly. "Traveling hired hands are a rough bunch."

"You mean you can't be sure they are bigots." Brooke sighed as the real world finally started to hit her in the face. "that they wouldn't look at my little girl and say horrible things." Brooke shook her head as he took the money. "I'd rather work my hands down to the bone than risk hiring someone that would hurt her. Don't feel bad about being selective Mr. Bradshaw, because if I have to do this another two months while Jake heals up I'll do it. I'll need a hell of a lot stronger pills than you carry, but I'll do it."

"You've been going through pain pills mighty fast Brooke." He said as he bagged up her purchase.

"I've been hurting." She muttered, hating to admit it. "Some of the stuff I do I didn't even let Jake do alone."

"Oh Girl." He shook his head, but then he looked up over her shoulder. "I'll just take care of this customer and close up shop to help you load. Maybe I can call Tommy down to help so you can rest up. I'm not as young as I used to be, but he's mighty strong."

Brooke didn't bother to complain, her pride wasn't so strong that she'd turn down help. She moved off to the side and pulled out the pain pills he'd bagged up to take a couple while he started to talk with the stranger that came in.

"What are you two needing to load?" The man spoke softly, and Brooke looked over at him. He looked sympathetic. "Maybe I can help." He offered. Brooke looked at him, taking in strong looking arms.

"I need a bunch of hay for my horses." She told him.

"I have time." He spoke and Brooke noticed the way he studied her. It made her feel a little awkward, but it wasn't creepy. "And it sounds like you really should take it easy."

Brooke gave a small smile. "Sure sounds nice, but that's not in my cards." She took a drink of the water she purchased to push the pain pills further down her throat. "Look, if you want to help I'd appreciate it." She finally said it. Maybe she could feel him out about working for a woman with a blue child. She was desperate, but not so desperate to not check on people first.

It felt strange to just sit on a bale of hay as the two men loaded her truck for her, but she did notice the stranger was keeping up fine. "My regular ranch hand had an accident and I'm short handed." She spoke as she watched him hand another bale to Mr. Bradshaw.

"I overheard that." He looked at her and Brooke once again felt like he was debating about saying or doing something. "I can't say I'm reliable, I tend to get called off to do things, but I could help you out for a while."

"You don't even know me." She wasn't sure about how easy this was.

"You're a pretty lady who is apparently popping pills to keep in motion because you don't have help. That isn't right." He told her, sounding rather gentlemanly. "I was just planning to visit someone around here, but maybe I could stick around until you have better help." He said and Brooke stared at him silently, debating about this.

"My little girl is a mutant." She had to say that, because it was important, and she watched him carefully for any hateful signs. "Blink at her and you're out the door."

"I think I can manage to not blink." He smirked. Mr. Bradshaw was looking at the man critically, evaluating him.

"I run the place, not a husband or a father, me." She spoke firmly. "You can work for a woman?"

"No better boss than a woman." He smiled at her, seeming slightly amused.

Her voice was steel. "I don't date my ranch hands." She didn't bother with the gay comment, because it was unlikely to be apparent. She'd need a lover to be obvious, and she didn't have one. Her mind drifted to Mystique, but that woman left town and it was a good chance she might not return. There was even better chance that if Mystique did come back it wouldn't be soon.

"Just business, I got it." He nodded, and Brooke nibbled on her lower lip a moment.

"I'll take you on, jobs maybe two months." She felt a little nervous doing this. "But I don't have room for a man to live on site." No way was she stupid enough to house a stranger.

"Well, I don't really have anywhere else to stay." He paused and Brooke stared into his face. Her eyes widened as his eyes flashed yellow for a moment. "Maybe you could take on my sister?" He smirked at her.

Brooke reluctantly tore her eyes away from Mystique, because it had to be her, to look at the old man. Mr. Bradshaw looked doubtful. "Tell your sister she has a job." Brooke knew this looked odd and she could see Mr. Bradshaw's expression. "I can give her a room at the house."

"That's good." Mystique smirked at her and Brooke just sighed as she sat back down. The 'men' continued to load her truck. The few looks Mr. Bradshaw sent her made it clear the man would be asking questions later.

………….

As Brooke drove she noticed the truck following her and she smiled just a little at the unexpected perfect help. If Mystique didn't know what she was doing, that was fine, she'd still be strong enough to do what Brooke told her to.

Brooke shook her head as she remembered the talk with Mr. Bradshaw. He thought it was strange of her to hire someone sight unseen, but Brooke said she was just gonna give the sister a chance and send her packing if it didn't work. She said another woman would be the best choice.

He saw it as giving up strength for safety, but he eventually thought it was worth trying too. Brooke didn't even have to admit that it was Mercy's daddy that was moving in to help out. She also didn't say that she knew that woman was strong enough for the job.

Mercy was going to be happy, Brooke thought with a small smile, but it faded when she thought of her grandma meeting Mystique and putting it together. Well, with Mystique being a woman maybe grandma wouldn't figure it out.

Brooke opened the gate and then left it opened as she drove her truck onto her property. As she backed her truck up to the barn she watched as a redheaded blue woman got out of the other truck and closed the gate.

The barn door was slid opened as the second truck came to a stop besides Brooke's. "I really appreciate you helping." Brooke stood beside the bed of her truck and spoke as soon as Mystique's door opened and the woman stepped out. "I wasn't even sure you were going to come back."

Mystique closed her door and took a few steps closer. "I wanted to talk to you about that night, and I have people that would like to meet Mercy. One is blue." She grinned at Brooke. "He's a doctor. I'm trying to figure out how I managed something like Mercy."

Brooke was behind with her work, but then she was consistently behind now. She lowered the gate on her truck and sat on it. "I guess that might be something you'd want to know." Brooke sighed softly. "In all honesty I thought you could do it, you said you were fully functioning."

"I didn't mean that fully." Mystique glanced toward the house. "I think maybe the power of suggestion did the trick, because my tests aren't showing sperm." Brooke grimaced a little at the idea of testing that.

"Suggestion?" Brooke asked.

"Sure, you were rather vocal that first time, wanting to be filled up. Hell you even said I should plant my seed. I thought it was role playing." Mystique shook her head. "I still don't get how I did it."

"Drunk, I made sure you were drunk first." Brooke offered with a painful blush on her face. "I wanted you to relax and go with it."

"Well, maybe we'll make you take a sample." Mystique teased. "You clearly know how." Brooke coughed a little and looked away, embarrassed.

After a little silence Brooke changed the topic. "Mercy's at her grandma's." Brooke spoke softly. "She'll want you to be in your true form, but grandma is going to be curious."

"So how are we playing this?" Mystique asked while leaning against the truck, looking at Brooke.

"I think having other blue women around would be good for Mercy. I'll deal with the fall out with Grandma if I have to." Brooke decided.

"How much pain are you in?" Mystique asked gently, and Brooke blushed.

"I keep messing up my back." She admitted.

Mystique looked at her a little longer and a small wicked smile crossed her lips. "Maybe I can give you a massage later." Brooke stared into Mystique's eyes and wondered about doing that in her own home, but she didn't say no.

………………….


	10. Chapter 10

Hitchhiker

By Princess Alexandria

Chapter 10 of 11

Brooke watched from a distance as Mystique picked up Mercy and the little girl laughed happily as she was spun around gently. They were picking Mercy up. With Mystique helping her Brooke was actually done in time to have dinner with her little girl. "Hey Grandma." She spoke as soon as the older woman turned wide eyes to look at her. "I managed to get some help."

"She's blue." Grandma muttered quietly as Brooke just watched Mystique nod and listen to her little girl tell some tale. Mystique had been enthusiastically greeted by Mercy last night, but Grandma hadn't seen her yet. "Mercy said she was, but I thought the little girl was just making stories."

"Nope, she's blue alright." Brooke waved at Mercy as the little girl waved. Her little girl looked happy, and it gave Brooke mixed feelings.

"Is she related to the daddy?" Grandma spoke quietly. Brooke glanced at her and even with all the thinking she'd done she wasn't sure how to respond.

"Jake will need more small work to do, I don't really have enough. If you need any work done around here you let me know." Brooke spoke without acknowledging the question, but her eyes were still on Mystique, who was putting Mercy down on the ground and glancing at her. "She's the daddy Grandma." Brooke whispered and glanced at the older woman. "We won't be telling Mercy that. I don't want her getting too used to Mystique being here." Brooke looked over to see Mystique studying her and then taking her little girl toward the truck. "There are going to be some strangers visiting. Seems women fathering babies is kinda rare and they want to meet Mercy."

Grandma was rather quiet so Brooke sighed and looked at her fully. "And no pressuring her to 'do the right thing'. The townsfolk have a funny idea about this, but Mercy was my idea and mine alone. I'm just grateful that the woman is willing to visit with my little girl, so Mercy can see other people are blue too. I'm not expecting anything, not even sure I want it."

Grandma looked rather stunned, but the woman managed to nod. Brooke nodded back and then hugged the old woman. "We'll bring Mercy back before breakfast tomorrow. We need to get some work done on the north end tomorrow."

"You never do anything the normal way." Grandma said and patted her back before letting her go. "If you two want to stay and eat," The offer was started.

"I'd prefer to not drag out all the uncomfortable polite chit chat. Mystique and I'll grab something to eat from home." Brooke had really had to pull up her courage just to invite the woman to go with her to pick up Mercy, she wasn't sure she wanted to explain to her grandma where Mercy came from over breakfast.

"You okay?" Mystique asked gently as Brooke settled into the truck, and Brooke glanced at the woman that had been working with her all day. The woman she fell asleep on the night before during what was supposed to be a pre-sex massage.

"I'm not really a slut you know." Brooke spoke quietly, so that Mercy wouldn't notice as the little girl was still waving to her grandma. "Aside from you, I never get any, but ever since I've gotten pregnant some people look at me like that." Brooke backed her truck up slowly. "I don't want my Grandma to look at me like that. It's why I claimed I had that procedure, I told my family I had it done."

Mystique's hand was warm as it rested over Brooke's as Brooke shifted the truck into forward.

"Momma can we have hot dogs?" Mercy spoke about dinner and Brooke sighed and looked into the rearview mirror with a small faked smile.

"I was thinking Mystique might like Momma to make steak, but if you really want hot dogs I could make you some." Brooke knew she spoiled her little girl sometimes, but if she preferred hot dogs what harm could that do?

"Hot Dogs!" Mercy raised her hands up in victory.

After dinner Brooke played with Mercy, but she could feel Mystique watching her. Brooke felt a little silly at times, but she didn't let it stop her from having fun with her daughter. Mercy yawned right around bedtime. "Oh, that sounds like the story monster wanting to be fed." Brooke teased as she tickled her little girl's stomach.

"I want Mysty to tell me a story Momma." Mercy asked, and then looked at the blue woman sitting on the couch.

"I don't know that Mystique knows how to read stories." Brooke glanced over at the woman. "And she might want to watch the news instead baby."

"I can read a story." Mystique's eyes captured and stayed on Brooke's, silently asking if it was okay.

"She likes people to do the voices." Brooke spoke quietly as she stood up fully.

"I can do voices." Mystique spoke, but a strange male voice came from her throat. Brooke watched her little girl's eyes widen. "I do all sorts of voices." Mystique's voice became shaky like an old woman. "Do you want me to read?" The voice was a regal English accent.

"Oh, oh," Mercy's hands clapped together. "Oh, momma, she does voices." Mercy turned her wide eyes on Brooke and she looked so impressed Brooke had to smile.

"Yeah, she's better than Uncle Jimmy isn't she?" Brooke agreed, teasing them both.

Mystique picked Mercy up and Brooke walked with them to the little girl's bedroom. "Let me pick the book. With you doing voices we need one that really works with your talents." She spoke softly, grinning just a little.

Brooke watched as Mystique read the story, and she did her best not to laugh, as Mystique flipped from voice to voice effortlessly. She knew that her own weak attempts were going to be a disappointment to her little girl for a while after this, but she really liked watching those two having fun.

…………………

Later that night Brooke stood in the doorway of the spare bedroom, her eyes on the woman laying on the bed reading a book silently for her own enjoyment. "I'm sorry I fell asleep last night." She spoke softly. "It just felt so good I just nodded right off."

"That's okay." Mystique put the book down and sat up. "I'm sure you can think of something to make it up to me." The woman grinned and Brooke stepped into the room while opening up her robe. The robe fell to the floor just as Brooke closed the bedroom door.

……………………

"Can you try and make it work?" Mystique asked breathlessly, her back arching. Brooke felt a little foolish, but she started to whisper rather graphic words as she caressed the blue woman, focusing on what she wanted out of her, while milking her for it. "Dammit." Mystique panted out and gripped the bed sheets desperately.

After she came Brooke slowed and just stared down at the rubber they'd used for this. "You can collect that yourself from here right?" Mystique laughed and swung her legs over the side of the bed to sit up. Brooke looked away politely as the sample was carefully set aside.

"Now that the much more fun medical stuff is done," Mystique crawled onto the bed and started to kiss at Brooke's neck. "I think we need to see how long it takes to make you crazy." Brooke bit back a moan as hands moved to caress her.

…………………..

The sun was partly hidden behind clouds as they set the sand bags down next to the creek. "Hank says he found sperm." Mystique spoke quietly and Brooke looked up at her. "Dead little sperm from the long mail trip, but sperm." Mystique looked thoughtful as she stared at Brooke. "I don't see what made that different, aside from the fun factor."

Brooke just shrugged a little, feeling ill equipped to even guess. "So if you can barely ever get it to happen you're probably safe from getting anyone else pregnant." She said as she dropped the sand bag in her hand onto the stack.

"He said it was an awfully high concentration." Mystique sat down on the tailgate of the truck and Brooke moved to sit on the sandbags. It was break time anyhow.

"Well that combined with the fertility drugs I was on explain Mercy." Brooke pointed out and then pointed at the cooler. Mystique tossed her a bottle of water from it.

"Yeah, I guess so." Mystique spoke slowly and Brooke raised her eyebrow at the woman, but nothing more was said about that. "Remember when I told you I wasn't all that reliable?" Brooke didn't like the direction of this conversation. "I have a trip I need to take in two days. It's a quick job, so I should be back in a couple of days."

Brooke thought about the work that needed to be done soon, and how her back was finally not hurting. "Okay."

"I'd like it if you saved the heavy stuff until I get back." Mystique stared at her and Brooke felt strange as she noticed the concern in those eyes.

"I don't even know what you do when you leave." Brooke spoke slowly, she had suspicions it wasn't safe or legal. "But you be careful okay. I really don't want to tell Mercy you went and got killed."

"Not a danger this time." Mystique grinned at her, but the 'this time' really stood out to Brooke.

…………………………..

"I want you to take it slow." Brooke told Jake as he stood by a truck. He was cleared, but she wasn't going to believe someone who wasn't working hard for months could just jump right back into it. "One thing this whole mess taught me is I really rely on you." She smiled at him.

"Yes boss." He grinned at her a little, but then looked over at the truck pulling into the property. "But every cloud has a silver lining right?" He smirked and Brooke just rolled her eyes and started to walk towards the woman getting out of the truck.

"Get to work lazy ass." She called back to him and he laughed.

Her steps faltered a moment as she noticed a large man getting out of the truck as well. Brooke's head tilted just a little as she kept walking, glancing at Mystique, but staring at him. Something was wrong with him, he was too huge. The truck even looked relieved he got out, by gaining several inches in height.

He turned to her and Brooke noticed he was blue as well. "Relative?" Brooke asked loudly, as she wasn't close enough to say it quieter.

"Hell no." Mystique laughed and so did he, a deep laugh. Brooke got closer and then she recognized him as the man on the magazine that Mercy bought.

"Hello madam. I hope my unannounced visit isn't too horribly rude." His smile looked like a lion baring his teeth. Brooke just blinked and looked over at Mystique for a moment.

"He wants to check out Mercy. I was hoping you wouldn't mind, he is a doctor." Mystique told her quietly as Brooke came to a stop beside her. "And she should like it, because I think I brought the only blue doctor in the world to her."

"Yeah, that'll earn him points." Brooke nodded and looked over at the man. He looked a little insecure with his huge shoulders hunched a little. "I'm Brooke." She spoke directly to him and he seemed to feel better about that.

"I'm Henry McCoy." He moved a little and was suddenly leaping over the truck. Brooke jerked back a little in surprise, but Mystique's hand on her lower back kept her upright and also kept her from embarrassing herself. That hand then gently caressed her back and Brooke glanced at the blue woman with a small smile of her own.

"I don't mind you being here, but I wish I'd known you were coming. My grandma took her grocery shopping." Brooke glanced at the road and thought it was probably a really close thing, that those two vehicles may have even passed each other. "It'll probably be two hours before Mercy's home, maybe longer if Grandma spoils her."

"Yes, I had heard that this community is rather tolerant." Henry smiled again. "You were rather fortunate."

Brooke's eyebrows drew together. "No, I had to work for that. I took my baby everywhere once she was born and people just got used to her. I wanted them to do that before she could tell they were staring." She glanced at her loaded truck and then at her unexpected guest. If it were just Mystique she'd bring that woman and make her work, but a doctor, even one that looked this strong, wasn't going to want to help.

Brooke turned to Mystique, before turning to Henry. "It's nice meeting you, but I can't let my horses out until I finish the fence. Mystique knows her way around if you want a tour." She felt rude, but if they were going to stop work to do an exam on Mercy, and Brooke wasn't going to let anyone touch her without being there, then she needed to work fast.

"Oh, oh of course. I'm so sorry to just drop by like this. Mystique assured me that calling after daylight would mean you wouldn't get the message until nightfall." He explained himself.

"We can go with you. I'll help." Mystique moved toward her own truck. "Henry, may have questions."

"Uh sure." Brooke stared at Mystique a moment. "East field, near my training circle."

She walked off as she heard the other truck start up again, but when she turned she did notice the large furry blue feline man was watching her far too carefully.

………………

Brooke's eyes were on the work she was doing, but she could tell that while Mystique was helping her, the man was watching them both carefully. He'd offered to help, but Mystique had turned him down before Brooke could consider it. Brooke figured Mystique knew him better and went with her answer.

"I'm sorry if my question is a little intrusive, but I wanted to ask about the night you conceived your beautiful offspring." He spoke and Brooke's eyes widened as she stared at Mystique, a shocked look on her face. Mystique just smirked a little and nodded.

"I think a doctor should already know plenty of how that's done." Brooke muttered just loud enough, she thought, for Mystique to hear.

His answering was embarrassing. "While the typical mechanics of such an occurrence I am familiar with, your coupling with our resident female shapeshifter leaves far too many questions and I've discovered far too few answers." He stressed the word female and Brooke just sighed. What could she possibly add that Mystique couldn't.

"I breed horses, I'm no expert on all this." She turned to look at him. "If you can't figure it out what am I supposed to say. As far as I was concerned it all went the way nature intended."

"So you went into the, ah," He stammered, "experience fully expecting it would work."

"Well I'd heard some people don't get pregnant right away when they try, but I was on some fertility drugs, so I thought my chances were pretty good." She felt a bit awkward, but then she considered the testing Mystique had gone through and sucked it up. This was for Mystique and she owed her, embarrassment wasn't enough reason to not help her figure this out.

"So the fact that the person you chose to, um, mate with was female didn't even enter your equation?" He asked, and it was clear that doctor or not, he rarely talked about sex. Brooke sighed.

"I didn't see it as an obstacle." She shrugged, knowing it was a little strange of her as most people knew it took two different genders to breed. "She could be either."

"So when you were," He paused and Brooke felt the tension in the air just from him alone, "intimate you considered her fully male?"

Brooke glanced at Mystique and felt her blush start. "This is getting a little personal." To talk about this was bad enough, but to talk about it with someone that wasn't Mystique and in front of her was pushing her limits. "Didn't you answer these?" She asked Mystique.

Mystique's voice was gentle. "He wanted to talk to you, to see if you noticed anything I couldn't, since I was a little drunk at the time." Mystique grinned a little making sure Brooke knew she was teasing.

"Well, no I never considered her male." Brooke felt like this was an odd conversation but she turned to the doctor. "Just male enough." She glanced down Mystique's torso, "You know, just male enough." She muttered and blushed. Mystique chuckled quietly.

"How long had you been trying to get pregnant?" He asked after a moment and Brooke gave up trying to work for a moment and just sat down and looked at him.

"Well, it was honestly my first try. I'd spent months preparing and looking at files of sperm donors. I was physically ready, but I just didn't like the selection. A picture and a questionnaire don't tell you anything real about what you're getting. I'd never breed my mare based on a picture and the owners word, why would I do that for a baby?" She shook her head, still not happy with that experience. "But I was going to just do it. I figured I was stalling too much and if I waited too long I'd have to wait another year. I was timing her birth to be near the slow time."

"Can I ask why you decided to have a child alone?" His voice was softer, as if this question weren't like the others. It was just curiosity. Mystique sat down next to her and was listening as well.

Brooke looked over at the trees around her property and sighed. A lot of people asked her this. She wasn't usually inclined to give an honest answer. "The alone thing wasn't likely to change for me. I wasn't going to not have her just because I don't believe in love." He looked a little startled and Brooke couldn't make herself look at Mystique. "Look, people pretend they can love a lover, that they can do forever, but it's all a Hollywood lie. That kind of love doesn't exist, so why should I wait for someone else to have my daughter? They'd only leave me later anyhow and then I'd have to fight for custody. The way I had it planned no one could take her from me, and on the off chance someone decided to pretend to stick around when they left it was MY daughter. No questions about who kept her."

"That's a rather," He stared at her with sad looking eyes, "sad and cynical view of love."

"I think of it as realistic." She sighed. "Grandma says she loved my Granddaddy like that, forever. Maybe people used to be able to do it, I'll grant that, you hear of some old people that are with someone with thirty plus years. But are they really there because of love or because it's easier than leaving. Are they in love or too lazy to make a change?"

"No." Mystique spoke softly and Brooke had to turn to look at her. The woman looked off to the side, as if watching something that wasn't there. "Real love exists Brooke."

Brooke just stared at the blue woman a moment and then looked away when Mystique didn't look at her. Her eyes went to Henry's and she could see some compassion in his eyes as he looked at Mystique, which told her there was a story she didn't know.

"I'm not a gambler." She spoke more quietly, gentler. "I couldn't bet it all on a lucky hand. I've never met anyone but my Grandma that says they've felt it. It seems rather rare. Now, loving family that's strong and real. I love my little girl and I'd lay down and die for her if I had to. I have someone to come home to after a hard day working. She's my everything."

"Eventually, like all children, she will grow up." Henry said and Brooke looked away from him. She tried to not think of that too much.

"Well, then it's a good thing I know where Mystique is. I'll just have to have another." She joked weakly. "Freeze me some of that sperm you found okay? Just so when she leaves I have it."

No one laughed. Brooke sighed and looked at the work she should be doing.

…………………..


	11. Chapter 11

Hitchhiker

By Princess Alexandria

Mystique found herself staring at Brooke while the woman was concentrating on opening up the gate to let her horses out. She took in the small smile the woman gave her horses and the way she patted the ones that came close. She noticed the gentle expression and she shook her head.

Brooke loved, she loved her family, and she loved her horses. It seemed sad that Brooke didn't believe in romantic love. "I am hoping that you are already planning to be especially gentle with that young woman." Henry spoke quietly and Mystique didn't bother to turn to see him. She could feel him leaning on the fence a little, because her seat on the post was shifted just a little.

Mystique scowled and let out an irritated breath. She didn't want advice from the Xmen's resident wallflower. She watched as Brooke started to caress the large stallion that was Brooke's pride and joy. She'd heard that this one was the one Brooke had taken to stud when she'd met Mystique. Brooke appeared to be talking to him, but they were far enough away to not hear it, or at least Mystique was. Henry's hearing was much better.

He sighed next to her. "I find it interesting that she believed it would work. Most normal people would assume the opposite. She even breeds animals and yet she saw no reason to doubt your ability to impregnate her. It doesn't seem logical that she wouldn't even consider the alternative."

Mystique turned just a little and looked at him. He was staring at Brooke as well, a thoughtful look on his face. He looked like Brooke was a puzzle, and it was nice that she wasn't the one getting that intense scrutiny from him for a change. "So what do you think, it's the power of positive thinking?" She grinned as he turned his head to look at her.

"Perhaps." He spoke slowly. "You mentioned what she was saying during your, ah," His blush started so show by the way he looked away and down, even though his fur covered it, "sample collection. Is she always so, um, vocal, during your liaisons?"

"No, not always." Mystique grinned at him wickedly. "Sometimes I have her coming so hard she can't string two words together." Her grin grew a little more wicked as she thought of how such a sweet cowgirl became a dirty talker in bed. It was rather intriguing, and consistent.

Mystique had told her not to stop that, once Brooke blushed and looked away one night after saying something that surprised even the cowgirl. Mystique found it extremely arousing to hear the litany of dirty thoughts in Brooke's head.

"While a genetic sample is the only way to be certain, I hold a considerable amount of certainty that your recent ability to impregnate females is the result of a very low level mutant with enough desperation to enhance her abilities and therefore your own." His voice became quieter and thoughtful. "It is quite fortuitous for her that your own mutation was one that allowed you to get so very close to what she needed. A small boost of your power was all it would take to allow you to procreate in that manner." Hank's explanation was wordy as ever, but Mystique spent more attention to Brooke, who was walking their way looking more relaxed just because her horses were free.

"I saw Grandma came back while we were gone. I could go get my little girl." Brooke spoke louder so they could hear her as she walked toward them. Mystique slid off the fencepost she'd been sitting on and stood on the ground.

"I would be most appreciative if I could start work posthaste. I do not want to impose on your hospitality more than absolutely necessary." Henry called back. Mystique watched Brooke take a silent moment to decipher what Henry and said. The woman nodded at them and then met Mystique's eyes for a moment, holding her gaze. Mystique stared back and then nodded reassuringly, as she noticed Brooke was nervous about having her little girl examined. Mystique wouldn't let anything happen to Mercy, and apparently Brooke believed that because after that Brooke got into her truck and drove off to get her little girl for them.

…………………

…………………

Brooke smiled as Mercy squealed at the sight of the very large and blue doctor. "He's a doctor, like Doctor Lillian." Brooke told her little girl quietly as she worked to get her out of the car seat. "Only he looks at little girls and not horses."

Brooke remembered her own childhood and how she'd never been seen so excited to see a doctor. She'd hated them. Hopefully if she pulled this off right her little girl wouldn't have that fear of shots every time she saw a doctor.

Holding Mercy's hand firmly they started to walk towards an amused looking Mystique and a rather shocked looking Doctor. "He's big and blue." Mercy spoke loudly but seemed to think it was a private conversation between the two of them. "Oh and he's furry like doggy."

Brooke blushed a little. "Mercy, you know better than to talk like that in front of people." She scolded softly.

Mercy looked at him. "You're furry like my doggy. Who brushes you?"

Brooke was blushing hard and she noticed that Mystique wasn't even trying not to laugh at Mercy's question. She shot the blue woman a scolding look, not wanting to encourage Mercy into a question spree.

"Oh well," Henry looked a little surprised for a moment but then he smiled, that stopped Mercy's walking at the little girl stared at his sharp teeth. "I brush myself and you are quite right it is a very large undertaking." He leaned down, making himself shorter and held out a hand. "It is very nice to meet you. I'm Henry."

Mercy stood in front on the huge man and held out her little hand. Brooke wished she could have a picture of her little girl acting like a little lady. "I'm Mercy, well unless I've been bad then I'm Mercedes Raine."

Brooke rolled her eyes and looked over at a still amused looking Mystique.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mercy." Henry said and gently shook Mercy's hand.

Once he stood up Mercy looked over at Mystique and Brooke's heart ached when her little girl's face lit up and she spoke. "You're home." She couldn't correct her, and knew that when Mystique finally left Mercy would be devastated.

Brooke sighed and glanced over at her horses as Mystique hugged Mercy tight.

Henry looked at Brooke. "Where might I conduct the examination?" He asked and Brooke studied his size again. The house would be a tight fit for him, the door wasn't that big. The barn had an area where Dr. Lillian worked and it was large enough to get a horse into it. It also had a table for Mercy to sit on. Brooke glanced at the barn and then at the Doctor.

"I have a spot." She told him and pushed herself off of the fence she was leaning on and started to lead them there. Mercy was more than happy to play swinging arms with Mystique as they made their way to the barn.

Exams in this stall were normal, so Mercy had seen them done before. Mercy showed no fear as she was lifted up onto a table and the doctor set down a bag full of medical things. Brooke found herself glancing at the bag, concerned about needles.

Mystique moved to stand beside her and leaned in to whisper. "You're tension is going to scare her." Mystique added a gentle caress to Brooke's hand and Brooke sighed and glanced at the woman. She wanted to say she missed her, that isn't what she said.

"So you look like you weren't hurt." Brooke glanced up and down the blue woman.

"I told you, it was a piece of cake mission. If they even had a student metamorph around they wouldn't have needed me." Mystique leaned back against the wall. "This is going to get boring, you want to take a walk?"

The tone of voice said it was a chance to kiss and touch. Brooke looked at how Mercy was happily talking Henry's ear off. She noticed how gentle the man was with her little girl and thought maybe just stepping a few feet away and out of sight would be okay.

They stood in the doorway, the soft breeze bringing fresher air to them. Brooke slowly reached up a hand and caressed red hair. "I missed you." She spoke and then felt a stab of pain at admitting that. It upset her that she had missed Mystique.

Mystique just smiled and leaned in to kiss her gently. Brooke leaned into Mystique and when it turned into being gently held her eyebrows drew together in confusion, but it felt nice so she didn't pull away.

Brooke found herself feeling like she was melting as soft caresses went over her back, enjoying the closeness. Part of her ached, wondering how long she'd have this and not looking forward to the loneliness she was used to.

A half hour later Henry came outside with her little girl and smiled at her. Brooke found she was getting use to that and didn't feel like he might bite every time she saw it. "You have a remarkable little girl."

"I knew that." Brooke smiled down at Mercy, who looked a little proud. Brooke didn't ask about the results or what he was looking for in front of Mercy.

Mystique took the little girl to see the young colt they had in the barn and it left her alone with the doctor. Brooke just watched as Mystique walked away and shook her head just a little. "So?"

"Well, I did exam her as best I could here. My lab at home is much better for this sort of thing but Mystique insisted that you'd never allow us to borrow Mercy for a trip like that."

Most of what he said didn't make sense, but overall Brooke got the impression that Mercy was fine. Questions about how Mercy was conceived seemed to have stopped as well, but Brooke noticed she was getting a few curious looks from him even as he was getting into the truck so that Mystique could take him back to their jet.

……………………

"What's with your girl?" Jake asked her the next day and Brooke glanced over her shoulder to see Jake was looking at Mystique. Mystique was petting a horse and Brooke sighed as she thought of how beautiful that scene was. "She sticking around?" His words were a knife to her heart.

"She just came in to help me out while you were gone." Brooke turned back to the horse they were watching. "She'll probably leave soon."

"Ever thought of asking her to stay?" He asked and Brooke looked over at the older man, whose expression was too serious for this early in the morning.

"She's not going to stay Jake." Brooke sighed. "Asking wouldn't make a difference."

"Maybe she just needs to know she can stay." He spoke softly. "That my getting better doesn't mean she's out of a job." The way he said job was soft, "I ain't never seen you smile like you smile at her."

"Look." Brooke took a breath and willed herself not to tear up. "Let's just get the horses done and call it for lunch." She didn't want to talk about wishing for something she couldn't have. Mystique was going to leave, she knew it, she accepted it, she couldn't start this 'what if' game.

………………….

"I have another mission." Mystique spoke and rolled onto her side to look down at Brooke in the bed. "It's a longer one."

Brooke's jaw clenched, reflecting her heart. This was it, the end. Jake had been up to full speed for a week and now Mystique had a mission.

"When do you have to go?" Brooke asked, slightly proud of how she was able to make it sound like a casual question, or that it didn't hurt.

"Tomorrow. They're going to pick me up on the way." Mystique caressed her face gently and Brooke rolled over onto her side, facing away.

"Better get some sleep then, if you'll be busy tomorrow." Brooke spoke softly and hugged her pillow to her. Mystique surprised her by not getting up and going to her own room.

"I'll wake up before Mercy, she won't see me here." Mystique spoke quietly and then spooned her. Brooke's eyes started to leak, but she viciously worked to keep it hidden.

……………………..

The next morning felt like they were preparing for a funeral, even though they didn't do anything different. They ate breakfast and they chatted with Mercy. Brooke didn't tell her daughter that Mystique was leaving and dreaded the scene that night when Mercy figured it out.

They dropped Mercy off and then Brooke drove back to where Mystique's truck was. "Thanks for all you help. I would have needed a doctor myself if I'd kept working alone." Brooke spoke quietly.

"I'm glad I did." Mystique spoke just as softly. "I'd like to come by for Christmas, but I don't know that we'll be done by then."

Brooke just nodded, but she expected it was just words. When they got to the other truck Brooke slowly got out of the car to do the right thing. She hugged Mystique tensely, kissed her and then stood back and watched her toss her bag into the cab of the truck.

"Tell Mercy I'll take her out to ice cream when I see her again." Mystique spoke and it hurt. Brooke had no intention of telling Mercy that, of getting her child's hopes up like that.

Mystique drove off and Brooke waved, standing tall and smiled. As soon as the truck was out of sight she went into her barn and cried harder than she had when her parent's divorced. The horses shifted nervously as Brooke's sobs grew in volume. She'd tried to do it quietly, but the pain was more than she could contain.

She'd miss Mystique.

……………………

Mystique stared down at the fields as they took off and sighed. She could tell Brooke didn't believe her when she talked about coming back. It made her even more convinced that she needed to go back. She needed to prove to Brooke she was wrong, that real love did exist.

"So are you back now?" Kitty asked, in that snide way she had. Mystique turned to look at her.

"For now." Was all she said before she turned toward the other woman in the plane. Rogue stared at her a moment and then gave her a small smile.

Ten minutes later Rogue had moved to the seat beside her. "Momma, are you in love?"

Mystique looked away from the fields and clouds and looked at her older daughter. "I could be." Not yet, but soon. "Just a little longer and I would be." It wasn't something she really thought she'd feel again after Irene died, but Brooke would be easy to love. "I need to prove to her it exists."

It would be hard, but one thing Mystique decided was that she was going to be there for their daughter's Christmas this year. This mission was going to go fast and well, so that she could prove that she would come back to Brooke. Brooke didn't believe her.

……………………

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AN: Okay I know it isn't the ending you all expect from me, but I'm happy with it.

THE END


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